Ay Luna

Ay Luna: Música española del Siglo de Oro
Guillemette Laurens & Unda Maris
Alpha Music
CD#: ALPHA 064

Another outstanding release from Alpha Music, Ay Luna delves into the Spanish folk and courtly music of the 16th and 17th centuries, including rare organ compositions. Ranging from ballads and dances to an early protest song, the album reveals the versatility and innovation that occured during this turbulent time in history.

Many Spanish composers of the period, in contrast to their European counterparts, borrowed from the homegrown traditions of the peasantry as well as adapted the more formal styles common in the royal courts. This fusion is plainly evident in many of the CD’s tracks. For instance, “Fantasia 10” is truly a flight of fancy with its guitar trills and soaring melodies, in contrast to the pounding percussion of “Ysabel,” a villancico, or song rendered in a traditional folk style. From secular, even suggestive ballads to religious and moralistic melodies such as “O, que en la cumbre” and “Todo el mundo en general,” each piece on Ay Luna is consummately performed.

Utilizing the most common instruments of the period—the vilhuela, an early guitar, the harp, and the drum—Laurens and Maris’ artistry is remarkable for its spareness. The vocals on this album provide the perfect feel for the period. The organ pieces, performed on a restored 17th-century French organ (an instrument that would have been similar to period organs from Spain), have a rich authenticity and polish about them. Even the late 15th-century “Paseabase el Rey moro,” a song so powerful that its performance was banned by the Spanish authorities for fear of inciting rebellion, is here rendered in an unadorned style that fits the mournfulness of the tune and its subject.

This rich, mellifluous music is a fine example of what a period CD is all about, and the musical breadth and depth of Ay Luna make it a must-have for any lover of 17th-century music.

— Richard Mackenzie